Every year there are players who were solidly under the radar during the college season only to rise up draft boards through the draft process.
Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan falls solidly under that category. He was typically considered a late-round pick at best, or even a priority free agent, on most big boards at the end of the season. Missouri’s disappointing end to the season obscured what was a good season for a player who improved every year of his college career. McClellan finished with 8.0 tackles for a loss, 6.0 sacks, and 48 tackles, and a pair of passes defensed, but was largely unremarked at the national level.
That began to change with the Panini Senior Bowl and McClellan forced scouts back to his tape with a strong week of practice. We don’t know how his draft stock will respond as the process continues, but he could mount a real climb up draft boards.
Prospect: Chris McClellan (7)
Games Watched: vs. Alabama (2025), vs. Texas A&M (2025), vs. Virginia (2025)
Red Flags: none
Measurables
Height: 6-foot 3 ⅜ inches
Weight: 315 pounds
Arm length: 34 inches
Hand size: 10 ⅞ inches
Strengths
Best traits
- Size and length
- Play strength
- First step
- Disruptiveness
- Run defense
- Competitive toughness
McClellan is a big, powerful, competitive, and surprisingly explosive defensive tackle prospect.
McClellan has a thick, versatile frame at 6-foot 3 ⅜ inches with 34-inch arms and nearly 11-inch hands. He has obvious power in his upper and lower halves, which allows him to routinely function as a 0 or 1-technique and control guard-center double teams, as well as guard-tackle double teams as a 3-technique. He’s able to create piles and shut down interior gaps when playing with leverage, while his long arms and powerful hands allow him to make plays off of blockers when runners challenge his gaps.
He’s more than just a short-yardage run stuffer, however, and McClellan has an impressive first step as a pass rusher. He is capable of exploding off the line of scrimmage and not only driving blockers back but also penetrating individual gaps and attacking into the backfield. He can be a legitimately disruptive defender and totaled 21 total pressures in 2025, including 5.0 sacks and five QB hits. McClellan flashes a solid toolbox of moves, using club, rip, and arm-over moves as counters to his go-to bull rush and long-arm moves. He also has enough agility to act as a looper on stunts and twists along the line of scrimmage.
Finally, McClellan plays with great competitive toughness as well as good processing. He anticipates and keys the snap very well and is among the first players moving. Likewise, he is very quick to recognize screens or swing passes, as well as disengage and pursue. He gives great effort in pursuit and is willing to run down ball carries across the field.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Leverage consistency
- Technique consistency
The single most notable issue in McClellan’s game is his inconsistent leverage and pad level. He’s capable of being a force when he fires out of his stance with good pad level and maintains it through the play. However, he has a pronounced tendency to pop upright at the snap or let his pads rise over the course of the play and compromise his leverage.
Losing his leverage frequently compromises McClellan’s play strength and ability to take on blocks. He’s almost impossible to move when playing with good leverage and is highly disruptive when attacking into the backfield. However, he can be put on skates or struggle to get off blocks when he pops up or lets his pads rise. It could be related to his conditioning and he may need to be in an active defensive line rotation. He did appear to gain weight over the course of the season, which is something teams may have to manage going forward.
McClellan could also use development in his hand usage and plan over the course of a game. His hands are generally a strength, however he needs to get better at understanding when to use countermoves, as well as which moves fit his game and the situation the best.
Game Tape
(McClellan is the Missouri defensive tackle wearing number 7.)
Projection
McClellan projects as a rotational defensive tackle with scheme diversity and three-down upside at the NFL level. He can play in a 2, 3, or 4 man front, as well as be a 2-gapping run stuffer or a disruptive penetrator.
He may not take over games at his best, however he can be a complete handful for individual blockers, control multiple gaps, and blow up plays in the backfield. McClellan has the potential to become a starting defensive tackle and an every-down, or perhaps “any-down” contributor, however he’ll need to improve his leverage consistency to reach his ceiling.
If he can improve his consistency in pad level, as well as hand usage, he has the potential to be a good starting tackle who can make an impact for just about any defense commonly called in the NFL.
Does he fit the Giants? Yes
Final Word: A Day 2 value
See More:
